dequinox
10 kW
extremegreenmachine said:Image sometimes means safety. I heard of a guy getting run over and mugged just cuz he was wearing a pink jacket...imagine one of our guys riding around a bad part of town holding up traffic on an expensive electric bike with a blinking light on his ass..can you imagine a bigger TARGET? And if you are riding in the wrong neighborhood, riding illegally in traffic, and you use your horn to honk at the wrong person at the wrong time...you could get chased down, run over and beat up even if you had good reason to honk.
And a terrorist could decide to set off a dirty bomb or a biological weapon when they see you riding by in your pink jacket, bright flashing turn signals and little horn...but it sure as hell isn't likely to happen...and you sure as hell aren't at fault for it. Yes there are a-holes that will attack anything that looks a bit different, but is that a reason to stop being what you are? Think about what you stand for and think about whether or not it's worth having a little courage to look however the <insert colorful expletive here> you want to look.
FeralDog said:Now, back on topic, well I must confide that I have seen a few bikes here that .... how can I say it politely?... er, uh, well they are Dorksters.
I won't mention any by name (but you dork-bike enablers know who you are!).
It is the dork-like expression of uber-safety paranoia that reeks from each flashy/flashy/sparkly light , super-xtra padded protections, hi-viz mega see-me for Heavens sake, oh my God are you seeing how well prepared for anything I am ... jeez how close do ya think that car just got !!!
I know most here have just the right balance of healthy fear and mighty courage, with just the right touch of safety blinkers and directional lights :lol: , but I think, and it is just my opinion (not a group of conspirators) that maybe a little less mega-saftee-bling would express the riders confidence in his/her ability more. Please: take this the right way. I mean , it's like informing someone their zipper is down, or that they have toilet paper on their shoes, or that one has a booger on ones' face --- well you get my drift?
Feraldog (and greenmachine), you'll note after you are here for a while that most of the people are very reasonable about not JUDGING people for their choices...whether they be wreckless or safety-nerds. These folks will poke a little fun from time to time, or POLITELY voice their concerns for the safety of a fellow rider. Search up Riding Safety and you might find an old thread on dealing with road rage while piloting a bicycle as an example...I can't remember where it is at the moment.
The point is the people here are friendly, know how to have fun, are extremely helpful, very reasonable and VERY worth knowing! Tolerance above all else is emphasized here from what I have seen. People get their say as long as they do it, take ownership, and not say things for the express purpose of pissing others off.
NOW...
Back on topic. I use a pair of standard rear lights, and a pair of bright home-made Cree Q5 LED lamps up front that don't blink. I prefer steady light. As far as signaling at night goes? Screw that. I won't make a move until I am sure the coast is clear. Safety jacket or vest? Not at night, and I consider my daytime riding clothes to be perfectly visible most of the time. At night I figure if the cars don't see my lights then they certainly aren't going to see my jacket.
That's my view on it.